The Beer Barrel Polka was The Song of the Rhode Island Reds, played at every home game when the Reds hit the ice for each period of play.

The tradition began sometime around World War II.

The music was originally composed by the Czech Jaromír Vejvoda in 1927. At that time, it was played without lyrics as Modřanská polka. Its first text was written by Václav Zeman in 1934 – Škoda lásky.

The polka went to the world very soon. In 1938, Will Glahé sold one million copies of its German version Rosamunde and got a Gold Album for it. Shapiro Bernstein published the song under the name of Beer Barrel Polka a year later. The song was recorded by the Andrews Sisters, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Benny Goodman or Billie Holiday.

With its subject – beer – and energetic, happy beat, the “Beer Barrel Polka,” was a natural to accompany the Allies on their march toward Berlin at the end of World War II.

The song that had accompanied the troops through Europe came home with them in 1945, becoming an unofficial victory song in the United States, and it was played everywhere – clubs, concerts and sports events.

At the Rhode Island Auditorium, the new organist  – “Miss Vivian” Porter – began to perform the song began to perform the song to celebrate the entrance of the Reds on the ice at the beginning of each and every period. The crowd loved it, and she continued to play – at every Reds hockey game at the auditorium from the mid-1940s to the late 1960s.

The Beer Barrel Polka: Lew Brown recorded a hit with the Czech song.

Click the Play and Pause buttons (arrow on left) to hear a 1930s-era version of "Beer Barrel Polka."

Click the Play button to hear a Reds version of "Beer Barrel Polka."